Methods and apparatus for using polarized antennas in wireless networks including multi-sector base stations

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for using multiple antennas having different polarizations are described. Polarized antennas are advantageously deployed in a cellular network. Some of the sectors utilize an antenna with a first direction polarization, while other sectors use an antenna with a second direction polarization, for a given carrier. Various embodiments are directed to methods and apparatus related to base station deployment which set up and/or operate base stations in accordance with an advantageous reuse pattern from the perspective of inter-cell and/or inter-sector interference. In some embodiments a plurality of carriers are used in addition to a plurality of different polarization direction antennas. In some such embodiments, a base station is configured so that for a given sector different carriers are associated with different direction polarization antennas. Some embodiments are directed to multi-sector base station implementations.

FIELD

Various embodiments relate to wireless cellular networks, and moreparticularly to methods and apparatus related to deploying and/or usingpolarization antennas according to a configuration pattern in a cellularnetwork to increase the spectral efficiency over the network.

BACKGROUND

In a wireless communications system, there is typically a fixed amountof air link resources available for communications. As more and moreindividuals start to utilize wireless services and as service providerscontinue to offer new and varied wireless services, the demand andcompetition for those limited resources continues to increase.Therefore, there is a need for new and inventive methods and apparatusto boost system capacity. In a wireless cellular communications system,interference between adjacent cells and/or sectors becomes an importantconsideration where bandwidth is reused in adjacent cells and/oradjacent sectors. Therefore it would be beneficial if new methods andapparatus for cellular systems used to boost system capacity also tendedto address and/or minimize inter-sector and/or inter-cell interference.

It has been well understood that the use of multiple antennas inmultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems can increase the spectralefficiency for wireless communications. Theoretically, the capacityboost from applying multiple antennas at the base station and/or themobile stations can be potentially a factor which is equal to the numberof antennas used in the system. However, practically there are problemsassociated with such a system using multiple antennas. For instance, inreality such a gain in system capacity is not always attainable due to alimited scattering environment and other practical restrictions in thesystem. Furthermore, system complexity increases significantly in orderto realize the MIMO gain. For example, for an Uplink (UL)/Downlink (DL)Space division multiple access (SDMA) scheme, more scheduling bits haveto be assigned per schedule since more than one user will be assigned tothe same time/frequency slab. Also, sophisticated interferencecancellation schemes, e.g., a Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) receiverbased scheme, have to be applied to the base station and/or the mobilestations since the spatial signatures of the two users on the slab willbe correlated more or less. With two antennas, a traditional MIMO schemeusing spatial arrays (2×2) can increase the capacity, but to a limiteddegree.

In view of the above discussion, it would be desirable if improvedmethods and apparatus could be developed to provide improved performancegain in terms of increase in system capacity, better signal to noiseratio, increased spectral efficiency over the network, and/or reducedinter cell interference. It would be advantageous if such improvedmethods and apparatus were able to achieve some of these goals withoutsignificantly increasing the system complexity as compared to a singleantenna system.

SUMMARY

Methods and apparatus for using multiple antennas having differentpolarizations are described. For example, some base station antennas maybe associated with a first polarization direction, e.g., the verticalpolarization direction, while other base station antennas may beassociated with a second polarization direction, e.g., the horizontalpolarization direction. Various exemplary embodiments are directed tomethods and apparatus for selectively deploying polarized antennas in acellular network. In one embodiment, a simple approach boosts thecellular capacity without significantly increasing the complexity, ascompared to a single antenna system, by utilizing polarized antennasinstead of spatial antenna arrays to the system. In some embodiments,some of the sectors and/or cells utilize an antenna with a firstdirection polarization, while other sectors and/or cells use an antennawith a second direction polarization.

Various embodiments are directed to methods and apparatus related tobase station deployment which set up and/or operate base stations inaccordance with an advantageous reuse pattern from the perspective ofinter-cell and/or inter-sector interference. In some embodiments aplurality of carriers are used in addition to a plurality of differentpolarization direction antennas. Thus various embodiments are directedto embodiments and/or deployment strategies utilizing both carrier andantenna polarization diversity. In some such embodiments, a base stationis configured so that for a given sector different carriers areassociated with different direction polarization antennas. Someembodiments are directed to single sector base station implementationswhile other embodiments are directed to multi-sector base stationimplementations. Still other embodiments may include a mixture of singlesector and multi-sector base stations.

In some exemplary embodiments, there are two types of cells, a firsttype of cell having a base station configured in accordance with a firstantenna polarization/frequency combination for its sectors and a secondtype of cell have a base station configured in accordance with a secondantenna polarization/frequency combination for its sectors. In someexemplary embodiments, the mixture of cells is strategically deployed inthe system such that less than half of adjacent sectors have the samepolarization for a given carrier. In some exemplary embodiments, themixture of cells is strategically deployed in a hexagonal deploymentsuch that a given sector of a cell has at most 2 adjacent sectors whichhave the same antenna polarization/frequency combination.

An exemplary system, in accordance with various embodiments, comprises:a first multi-sector base station including a first antenna assembly,said first antenna assembly including a first carrier first sectorantenna being polarized in a first direction and a first carrier secondsector antenna being polarized in a second direction, said seconddirection being different from said first direction. An exemplary methodof operating a first multi-sector base station comprises: transmitting afirst signal having a first polarization on a first carrier from a firstcarrier first sector antenna which is polarized in said first direction;and transmitting a second signal having a second polarization on thefirst carrier from a first carrier second sector antenna which ispolarized in said second direction, said first and second directionsbeing different.

While various embodiments have been discussed in the summary above, itshould be appreciated that not necessarily all embodiments include thesame features and some of the features described above are not necessarybut can be desirable in some embodiments. Numerous additional features,embodiments and benefits of various embodiments are discussed in thedetailed description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary polarization reuse pattern asimplemented in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates another exemplary polarization reuse pattern asimplemented in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a potion of an exemplary communications systemincluding the deployment of two multi sector base stations adjacent toeach other in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a potion of an exemplary communications systemincluding the deployment of two multi sector base stations adjacent toeach other in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary communication system includingdeployment of two single sector base stations adjacent to each other inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method to configure asystem and operate first and second multi-sector base stations inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart showing the steps of an exemplary methodof deploying single sector base stations and operating first and secondsingle sector base stations in accordance with yet another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a drawing of an exemplary base station in accordance withvarious embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary polarization reuse pattern 100 in asectorized hexagon deployment. In the FIG. 1 illustration, the numeral“0” signifies vertical polarization and “1” signifies horizontalpolarization. In this example, there is a first type of cell, e.g.,exemplary cell 102, in which two sectors of the cell use verticalpolarization and the third sector uses horizontal polarization, andthere is a second type of cell, e.g., cell 104, in which two sectors ofthe cell use horizontal polarization and the third sector uses verticalpolarization. It is to be noted that the reuse pattern is designed insuch a manner that for a given cell, the number of neighboring cellswhich use the same pattern is minimized. For regular hexagon deploymentwith three sectors in each cell, the structure shown in FIG. 1 is a goodchoice for polarization reuse. As represented in FIG. 1, each sector ofa cell has up to six direct interfering neighbors. For example, a sectorof exemplary cell 102 or exemplary cell 104 has six direct interferingneighboring sectors. This reuse pattern is implemented such that onlytwo out of six neighboring sectors have the same polarization as thesector itself and thus only those two base station sector transmitterscan create interference for the wireless terminals, e.g., mobiles,within the sector of interest.

FIG. 2 illustrates another exemplary polarization reuse pattern 200 in asectorized hexagon deployment. In the example of FIG. 2, multiplecarriers are used. In the FIG. 2 illustration, the numeral “0” signifiesvertical polarization and “1” signifies horizontal polarization. Foreach sector there is a pair of carrier/polarization identificationvalues. The pair (0,1) indicates that vertical polarization is used forthe first carrier and horizontal polarization is used for the secondcarrier. The pair (1,0) indicates that horizontal polarization is usedfor the first carrier and vertical polarization is used for the secondcarrier. In this example, there is a first type of cell, e.g., exemplarycell 202 or exemplary cell 204, in which (i) two sectors of the cell usevertical polarization for the first carrier signals and use horizontalpolarization for the second carrier signals, and (ii) the third sectoruses horizontal polarization for the first carrier signals and verticalpolarization for the second carrier signals. There is also a second typeof cell, e.g., cell 206, in which (i) two sectors of the cell usehorizontal polarization for the first carrier signals and use verticalpolarization for the second carrier signals, and (ii) the third sectoruses vertical polarization for the first carrier signals and horizontalpolarization for the second carrier signals. It is to be noted that thereuse pattern is designed in such a manner that for a given cell, thenumber of neighboring cells which use the same pattern is minimized.Cell type selection for a given cell and orientation of one cell withrespect to another cell are included as components of the designed reusepattern. For regular hexagon deployment with three sectors in each celland using two carriers, the structure shown in FIG. 2 is a good choicefor polarization reuse. As represented in FIG. 2, each sector of a cellfor each carrier has up to six direct interfering neighbors. Forexample, a sector of exemplary cell 202 or exemplary cell 206, withrespect to a particular carrier, has six direct interfering neighboringsectors. This reuse pattern is implemented such that only two out of sixneighboring sectors, corresponding to the same carrier, have the samepolarization as the sector itself and thus only those two base stationsector transmitters, with respect to the carrier, can createinterference for the wireless terminals, e.g., mobiles, within thesector of interest with respect to that carrier.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a portion of an exemplary communications system300 including a plurality of base stations (base station 1 302, basestation 2 304), a network node 306 and a plurality of wireless terminal(WT 1 308, . . . , WT N 310). Base station 1 302 has a cellular coveragearea represented by cell 1 202. Similarly, base station 2 304 has acellular coverage area represented by cell 2 204. The base stations(302, 304) are coupled to network node 306 via links (348, 350)respectively. Network node 306 is coupled to other network nodes, e.g.,other base stations, AAA node, mode agent nodes, routers, systemconfiguration nodes, etc., via link 352. Network links (348, 350, 352)are, e.g., fiber optic links.

Network node 306, by coupling different base stations to one another aspart of a backhaul network, allows a wireless terminal using a firstbase station as its attachment point to communicate with a secondwireless terminal using a second base station as its point ofattachment.

In some embodiments, network node 306 is a system configuration node,e.g., providing information to the base stations (302, 304) used toconfigure the base station with regard to carrier/polarizationinformation. For example, for a given sector of a base station theconfiguration information identifies which carrier is to be associatedwith the first direction polarization antenna, e.g., verticalpolarization antenna, and which carrier is to be associated with thesecond direction polarization antenna, e.g., horizontal polarizationantenna. In some embodiments, base stations are configured as part of afactory setting or local site configuration or configuration updatewithout the need for configuration information to traverse network node306.

Base station 1 302 is a multi-sector base station which is a threesector base station. For base station 1 302 cell 1 202 includes sector 1312, sector 2 314 and sector 3 316. Base station 1 302 includes anantenna assembly 312. Antenna assembly 317 includes: first carrier firstsector antenna 324 which is polarized in the vertical direction, secondcarrier first sector antenna 326 which is polarized in the horizontaldirection, second sector first carrier antenna 328 which is polarized inthe horizontal direction, second sector second carrier antenna 330 whichis polarized in the vertical direction, third sector first carrierantenna 332 which is polarized in the vertical direction, and thirdsector second carrier antenna 334 which is polarized in the horizontaldirection.

Base station 2 304 is also a multi-sector base station which is a threesector base station. Base station 304 is of the same type as basestation 302, e.g., similar sectors have the same carrier/polarizationrelationship. For base station 2 304 cell 2 204 includes sector 1 318,sector 2 320 and sector 3 322. Base station 2 304 includes an antennaassembly 314. Antenna assembly 323 includes: first carrier first sectorantenna 336 which is polarized in the vertical direction, second carrierfirst sector antenna 338 which is polarized in the horizontal direction,second sector first carrier antenna 340 which is polarized in thehorizontal direction, second sector second carrier antenna 342 which ispolarized in the vertical direction, third sector first carrier antenna344 which is polarized in the vertical direction, and third sectorsecond carrier antenna 346 which is polarized in the horizontaldirection.

It should be noted that the first sector 312 of the first base station302 is located adjacent the second sector 320 of the second base station304 and that the first carrier first sector antenna 324 of the firstbase station 302 has a different polarization (vertical polarization)from the first carrier second sector antenna 340 of the second basestation 304 (horizontal polarization).

In various embodiments, the system includes additional sectorized basestations and less than half of adjacent sectors have the samepolarization for a given carrier.

The exemplary wireless terminals (WT 1 308, . . . , WT N 310) e.g.,mobile nodes, which are sometimes referred to as access terminals,include two polarization antennas. WT 1 308 includes a verticalpolarization antenna 354 and a horizontal polarization antenna 356. WT N310 includes a vertical polarization antenna 358 and a horizontalpolarization antenna 360. The wireless terminal (308, 310) may movethroughout the communications system and use a frequency and antennapolarization corresponding to the sector in which the wireless terminalis situated. In some embodiments, a wireless terminal may, and sometimesdoes, receive signals on two different carriers on two differentlypolarized antennas concurrently. The source of the received signals maybe from the same of different sectors of the same or different basestation.

FIG. 4 is a drawing of a portion of an exemplary communications system400 including a plurality of base stations (base station 1 302, basestation 3 402), a network node 306 and a plurality of wireless terminal(WT 1 308, . . . , WT N 310). Base station 1 302 has a cellular coveragearea represented by cell 1 202. Similarly, base station 3 402 has acellular coverage area represented by cell 3 206. The base stations(302, 402) are coupled to network node 306 via links (348, 442)respectively. Network node 306 is coupled to other network nodes, e.g.,other base stations, AAA node, mode agent nodes, routers, systemconfiguration nodes, etc., via link 352. Network links (348, 442, 352)are, e.g., fiber optic links.

Network node 306, base station 1 302, and WTs (308, 310) have alreadybeen described with respect to the FIG. 3 description, which isrelevant. Base station 3 402 is a multi-sector base station which is athree sector base station. Base station 3 402 is of a different typethan base station 1 302, e.g., similar sectors have the differentcarrier/polarization relationships. For base station 3 402 cell 3 206includes sector 1 404, sector 2 406 and sector 3 408. Base station 3 402includes an antenna assembly 410. Antenna assembly 410 includes: firstcarrier first sector antenna 412 which is polarized in the horizontaldirection, second carrier first sector antenna 414 which is polarized inthe vertical direction, second sector first carrier antenna 416 which ispolarized in the vertical direction, second sector second carrierantenna 418 which is polarized in the horizontal direction, third sectorfirst carrier antenna 420 which is polarized in the horizontaldirection, and third sector second carrier antenna 422 which ispolarized in the vertical direction.

It should be noted that the second and third sectors (406, 408) of thethird base station 402 are located adjacent the first sector 312 of saidfirst base station 310. In various embodiments, the system includesadditional sectorized base stations and less than half of adjacentsectors have the same polarization for a given carrier.

FIG. 5 is a drawing of an exemplary single sector base station system500 as implemented in one exemplary embodiment. The single sector basestation system 500 includes a plurality of base stations (base station 1502, base station 2 504, . . . ), network node 510 and a plurality ofwireless terminals (WT 1 512, . . . WT N 514). The base stations (502,504) are coupled to network node 510 via network links (516, 518),respectively. Network node 510 is coupled to other network nodes, e.g.,other base stations, routers, AAA node, home agent nodes, systemconfiguration control nodes, etc., via network link 520. Network links(516, 518, 520) are, e.g., fiber optic links.

Network node 510 couples base stations to one another so that a wirelessterminal using a first base station as a point of network attachment cancommunicate with a peer wireless terminal using a different base stationas a point of network attachment. In some embodiments, network node 510is a system configuration node which provides system configurationinformation to the base stations (502, 504), e.g., providing informationused to associate a carrier frequency with a antenna polarizationdirection to be used in the cell of the base station. In someembodiments, the base stations (502, 504) are configured as part of themanufacturing and/or deployment process and the configurationinformation is, e.g., loaded locally at the base station without theneed for the configuration to traverse network node 510.

Base station 1 502 has a corresponding cellular coverage area, cell 1506, while base station 2 504 has a corresponding cellular coveragearea, cell 2 508. Base station 1 502 and base station 2 504 are adjacentbase stations in the system 500 and at least a portion of cell 1 506overlaps a portion of cell 2 508.

Base station 1 502 includes a first antenna assembly 522. The firstantenna assembly 522 includes a first carrier antenna 524 polarized in afirst direction, e.g., the vertical polarization direction, and a secondcarrier antenna 526 polarized in the second direction which is differentfrom the first direction, e.g., the horizontal polarization direction.First antenna 524 is associated with a first carrier frequency F1 and isused to carry signals using the first carrier frequency. Second antenna526 is associated with a second carrier frequency F2 and is used tocarry signals using the second carrier frequency.

Base station 2 504 includes a second antenna assembly 528. The secondantenna assembly 528 includes a first carrier antenna 530 polarized inthe second direction which is different from the first direction. Forexample, the second direction is the horizontal polarization directionand the first direction is the vertical polarization direction. Thesecond antenna assembly 528 also includes a second carrier antenna 532having a different polarization than the first carrier antenna 530 ofthe second base station. For example, the first carrier antenna 530 hashorizontal polarization and the second carrier antenna 532 has verticalpolarization.

Second carrier antenna 532 is associated with the second carrierfrequency F2 and is used to carry signals using the second carrierfrequency. First carrier antenna 530 is associated with a first carrierfrequency F1 and is used to carry signals using the first carrierfrequency. Thus first and second base stations (502, 504), which aresingle sector base stations have different relationships between antennapolarization and carrier frequency.

The first and second base stations (502, 504) are deployed such thatthey are geographically located adjacent to each other. However,interference is limited due to the different carrier frequency/antennapolarization relationships used.

The exemplary wireless terminals (WT 1 512, . . . , WT N 514), e.g.,mobile nodes, which are sometimes referred to as access terminals,include two polarization antennas. WT 1 512 includes a verticalpolarization antenna 534 and a horizontal polarization antenna 536. WT N514 includes a vertical polarization antenna 538 and a horizontalpolarization antenna 540. The wireless terminal (512, 514) may movethroughout the communications system and use a frequency and antennapolarization corresponding to the sector in which the wireless terminalis situated. In some embodiments, a wireless terminal may, and sometimesdoes, receive signals on two different carriers on two differentpolarization antennas concurrently. The source of the received signalsmay be the same base station or different base stations.

FIG. 6, comprising the combination of FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C, is aflowchart 600 of an exemplary method of configuring a system andoperating exemplary multi-sector base stations in accordance withvarious embodiments. Operation starts in step 602, where the variousbase stations are powered on and proceeds to step 604. In step 604, thesystem is configured by locating a first multi-sector base stationincluding a first antenna assembly adjacent a second multi-sector basestation including a second multi-sector antenna assembly and/orcommunicating configuration information to said first and secondmulti-sector base stations.

In some embodiments, step 604 includes sub-step 605. In sub-step 605 athird multi-sector base station including a third antenna assembly islocated adjacent said first multi-sector base station and/orconfiguration information is communicated to said third multi-sectorbase station.

One possible implementation of step 604 includes having pre-configuredbase stations with particular carrier frequency to antenna polarizationdefinitions for each sector and selecting first and second base stationsand locating those selected base stations to achieve a desiredimplementation pattern. Another possible implementation of step 604includes loading configuration information into the individual basestations, e.g., at the factory or at the site location of the individualbase station, where the configuration information is used by the basestation to identify which carriers are associated with which directionpolarization antennas for each sector of the base station. Still anotheralternative is for a network node, e.g., a system configuration controlnode, to communicate the configuration information to the base stations,e.g., via a backhaul network, and then the base stations use theinformation to configure individual sectors, e.g., associating a carrierfrequency with a particular antenna polarization direction for a sector.In some embodiments, communicating configuration information includessending a type indicator, e.g., identifying whether the base station isto follow a first frequency/polarization pattern or a second frequencypolarization pattern.

In some embodiments, step 604 includes locating the first multi-sectorbase station adjacent the second multi-sector base station such that thefirst sector of the first base station is located adjacent the secondsector of the second base station, and the second multi-sector basestation second antenna assembly includes a first carrier first sectorantenna being polarized in a first direction and a first carrier secondsector antenna being polarized in the second direction, said seconddirection being different from the first direction, and the firstcarrier first sector antenna of the first base station has a differentpolarization than the first carrier second sector antenna of the secondbase station. Thus the two adjacent sectors (first sector first basestation and second sector second base station) are configured to usedifferent carriers corresponding to the same polarization antennadirection so as to reduce interference.

Operation proceeds from step 604 to step 606 and connecting node A 608.In some embodiments, e.g., an embodiment, with the third multi-sectorbase station, operation also proceeds from step 604 to connecting node B610.

In step 606 the first multi-sector base station is operated to transmitsignals. Step 606 includes sub-steps 612, 614, 616, 618, 620 and 622which may be, and sometimes are, performed in parallel. In sub-step 612the first base station transmits a first signal having a firstpolarization on a first carrier from a first carrier first base stationfirst sector antenna which is polarized in the first direction. Insub-step 614, the first multi-sector base station transmits a secondsignal having a second polarization on the first carrier from a firstbase station second sector antenna which in polarized in the seconddirection, said first and second directions being different. In sub-step616, the first multi-sector base station transmits a third signal havinga third polarization on the first carrier from a first carrier firstbase station third sector antenna which is polarized in a thirddirection, e.g., the third polarization direction being the same as thefirst polarization direction. In sub-step 618, the first multi-sectorbase station transmits a fourth signal on a second carrier first basestation first sector antenna having a different polarization than saidfirst carrier first base station first sector antenna. In sub-step 620,the first multi-sector base station transmits a fifth signal on a secondcarrier first base station second sector antenna having a differentpolarization than said first carrier first base station second sectorantenna. In sub-step 622, the first multi-sector base station transmitsa sixth signal on a second carrier from a second carrier first basestation third sector antenna which is polarized in a different directionthan said first carrier first base station third sector antenna, e.g.,the second polarization direction. Operation proceeds from the output ofstep 606 back to the input of step 606.

Returning to connecting node A 608, operation proceeds from connectingnode A 608 to step 624. In step 624, the second multi-sector basestation is operated to transmit signals. Step 624 includes sub-steps626, 628, 630, 632, 634 and 636 which may be, and sometimes are,performed in parallel. In sub-step 626 the second base station transmitsa seventh signal having first polarization on a first carrier from afirst carrier second base station first sector antenna which ispolarized in the first direction. In sub-step 628, the secondmulti-sector base station transmits an eighth signal having secondpolarization on the first carrier from a first carrier second basestation second sector antenna which in polarized in the seconddirection. In sub-step 630, the second multi-sector base stationtransmits a ninth signal having third polarization on the first carrierfrom a first carrier second base station third sector antenna which ispolarized in the third direction, e.g., the third polarization directionbeing the same as the first polarization direction. In sub-step 632, thesecond multi-sector base station transmits a tenth signal on a secondcarrier second base station first sector antenna having a differentpolarization than said first carrier second base station first sectorantenna. In sub-step 634, the second multi-sector base station transmitsan eleventh signal on a second carrier second base station second sectorantenna having a different polarization than said first carrier secondbase station second sector antenna. In sub-step 636, the secondmulti-sector base station transmits a twelfth signal on a second carrierfrom a second carrier second base station third sector antenna which ispolarized in a different direction than said first carrier second basestation third sector antenna, e.g., the second polarization direction.Operation proceeds from the output of step 624 back to the input of step624.

Returning to connecting node B 610, operation proceeds from connectingnode B 610 to step 638. In step 638, the third multi-sector base stationis operated to transmit signals. Step 638 includes sub-steps 640, 642,644, 646, 648 and 650 which may be, and sometimes are, performed inparallel. In sub-step 640 the third base station transmits a thirteenthsignal having second polarization on a first carrier from a firstcarrier third base station first sector antenna which is polarized inthe second direction. In sub-step 642, the third multi-sector basestation transmits a fourteenth signal having first polarization on thefirst carrier from a third base station second sector antenna which inpolarized in the first direction. In sub-step 644, the thirdmulti-sector base station transmits a fifteenth signal having fourthpolarization on the first carrier from a first carrier third basestation third sector antenna which is polarized in the fourth direction,e.g., the fourth polarization direction being the same as the secondpolarization direction. In sub-step 646, the third multi-sector basestation transmits a sixteenth signal on a second carrier third basestation first sector antenna having a different polarization than saidfirst carrier third base station first sector antenna. In sub-step 648,the third multi-sector base station transmits a seventeenth signal on asecond carrier third base station second sector antenna having adifferent polarization than said first carrier third base station secondsector antenna. In sub-step 650, the third multi-sector base stationtransmits an eighteenth signal from a second carrier third base stationthird sector antenna which is polarized in a different direction thansaid first carrier third base station third sector antenna, e.g., thefirst polarization direction. Operation proceeds from the output of step638 back to the input of step 638.

In one exemplary embodiment corresponding to FIG. 6, the firstmulti-sector base station is base station 1 302 of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 andcorresponds to cell 202 of FIG. 2, the second multi-sector base stationis base station 2 304 of FIG. 3 and corresponds to cell 204 of FIG. 2,and the third multi-sector base station is base station 3 402 of FIG. 4and corresponds to cell 206 of FIG. 2. In addition, the firstpolarization direction is the vertical polarization direction and thesecond polarization direction is the horizontal polarization direction.Continuing with the example, the (first, second, third, fourth, fifth,sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth,fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth) signals aretransmitted via antennas (324, 328, 332, 326, 330, 334, 336, 340, 344,338, 342, 346, 412, 416, 420, 414, 418, 422), respectively.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 of an exemplary method of operating a systemincluding first and second base stations. Operation starts in start step702 and proceeds to steps 704 and 706. In step 704, a single sectorfirst base station including a first first-carrier antenna and a firstsecond-carrier antenna is deployed, said single sector first basestation being deployed adjacent to a second single sector base station.In step 706, the second single sector base station including a secondfirst-carrier antenna and a second second-carrier antenna is deployed.The second single sector base station is deployed adjacent to said firstsingle sector base station.

In some embodiments, the deployment of steps 704 and steps 706 includesphysically placing pre-configured base stations at sites which arephysically adjacent. In some embodiments, the deployment of steps 704and step 706 includes communicating configuration information from asystem configuration control node, e.g., via a backhaul, to the basestations. The system configuration information includes, e.g.,information associating carriers with polarization antennas for the basestation. In some embodiments, deployment includes loading configurationinformation into a base station directly at a site, e.g., withouttraversing the backhaul.

Operation proceeds from step 704 to step 708 and from step 706 to step710. In step 708, the first single sector base station is operated totransmit signals. Step 708 includes sub-step 712, and in someembodiments sub-step 714. In sub-step 712, the first base stationtransmits a first signal on a first carrier using a first first-carrierantenna which is polarized in a first direction, said first signal beingpolarized in the first direction. In sub-step 714, the first basestation transmits a third signal on a second carrier using a firstsecond-carrier antenna having a different polarization than said firstfirst-carrier antenna.

In step 710, the second single sector base station is operated totransmit signals. Step 710 includes sub-step 716 and, in someembodiments, sub-step 718. In sub-step 716 the second base stationtransmits a second signal on a first carrier using a secondfirst-carrier antenna which is polarized in the second direction, saidsecond signal being polarized in the second direction, the first andsecond direction being different. In sub-step 718, the second basestation transmits a fourth signal on the second carrier using a secondsecond-carrier antenna having a different polarization than said secondfirst-carrier antenna.

Sub-steps 712, 714, 716, 718 can be, and sometimes are, performed inparallel. Operation proceeds from the output of step 708 to the input ofstep 708. Similarly for the second base station, operation proceeds fromthe output of step 710 to the input of step 710.

In various embodiments, the first direction is a vertical direction andthe second direction is a horizontal direction. In some embodiments, thefirst first-carrier antenna is vertically polarized and the secondfirst-carrier antenna is horizontally polarized. In some suchembodiments, the second first-carrier antenna is horizontally polarizedand the second-second carrier antenna is vertically polarized.

In one exemplary embodiment, the method of flowchart 700 is implementedby the exemplary system 500 of FIG. 5. Continuing with the example, thefirst single sector base station is BS 1 502, the second single sectorbase station is BS 2 504, the first first-carrier antenna is antenna 524which is vertically polarized, the first second-carrier antenna isantenna 526 which is horizontally polarized, the second first-carrierantenna is antenna 530 which is horizontally polarized, and the secondsecond-carrier antenna is antenna 532 which is vertically polarized.

FIG. 8 is a drawing of an exemplary base station 800 in accordance withvarious embodiments. Exemplary base station is, e.g., one of the basestations of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. Exemplary base station 800 includes areceiver module 802, a transmitter module 804, processor 806, an I/Ointerface 808, and a memory 810 coupled together via a bus 812 throughwhich the various elements may interchange data and information. Basestation 800 also includes an antenna assembly 801 including a sector 11^(st) polarization direction antenna 814, a sector 1 2^(nd)polarization direction antenna 816, a sector 2 1^(st) polarizationdirection antenna 818, a sector 2 2^(nd) polarization direction antenna820, a sector 3 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 822 and a sector 32^(nd) polarization direction antenna 824. In some embodiments, thefirst polarization direction is a vertical polarization direction andthe second polarization direction is a horizontal polarizationdirection.

Transmitter module 804 includes: a sector 1 1^(st) transmitter module826 coupled to sector 1 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 814, asector 1 2^(nd) transmitter module 828 coupled to sector 1 2^(nd)polarization direction antenna 816, a sector 2 1^(st) transmitter module830 coupled to sector 2 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 818, asector 2 2^(nd) transmitter module 832 coupled to sector 2 secondpolarization direction antenna 820, a sector 3 1^(st) transmitter module834 coupled to sector 3 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 822, and asector 3 2^(nd) transmitter module 836 coupled to sector 3 secondpolarization direction antenna 824.

I/O interface 808 couples the base station 800 to other network nodes,e.g., other base stations, routers, AAA nodes, home agent nodes, systemconfiguration control nodes, and/or the Internet. I/O interface 808allows a wireless terminal using a base station 800 attachment point tocommunicate with a peer wireless terminal using an attachment point of adifferent base station. In some embodiments, base station configurationinformation, e.g., information identifying a base station type and/orinformation identifying carriers associated with particular polarizationdirections for particular sectors of the base station 800, iscommunicated to base station 800 via I/O interface 808, e.g., from asystem configuration control node which is establishing a reuse patternin the system.

Memory 810 includes routines 838 and data/information 840. The processor806, e.g., a CPU, executes the routines 838 and uses thedata/information 840 in memory 810 to control the operation of the basestation 800 and implement methods, e.g., the method of flowchart 600 ofFIG. 6 pertaining to one of the base stations. Routines 838 includecommunications routines 842 and base station control routines 844. Thecommunications routines 842 implement the various communicationsprotocols used by the base station 800. The base station controlroutines 844 include a configuration module 845, a transmitter controlmodule 846 and a signal generation module 848. The configuration module845 is used to load configuration information and/or implement a storedconfiguration corresponding to the base station 800. Transmitter controlmodule 846 includes a plurality of transmitter control modules (sector 11^(st) transmitter control sub-module 850, sector 1 2^(nd) transmittercontrol sub-module 852, sector 2 1^(st) transmitter control sub-module854, sector 2 2^(nd) transmitter control sub-module 856, sector 3 1^(st)transmitter control sub-module 858, sector 3 2^(nd) transmitter controlsub-module 860) corresponding to the transmitter modules (826, 828, 830,832, 834, 836), respectively. Signal generation module 848 includes aplurality of signal generation sub-modules (sector 1 1^(st) signalgeneration sub-module 862, sector 1 2^(nd) signal generation sub-module864, sector 2 1^(st) signal generation sub-module 866, sector 2 2^(nd)signal generation sub-module 868, sector 3 1^(st) signal generationsub-module 870, sector 3 2^(nd) signal generation sub-module 872)corresponding to the transmitter modules (826, 828, 830, 832, 834, 836),respectively.

Sector 1 1^(st) transmitter module 826 transmits signal over firstsector 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 814 under the control ofsector 1 1^(st) transmitter control sub-module 850, wherein the sector 11^(st) signal generator sub-module 862 generates signals which are inputto the sector 1^(st) transmitter module 826. The transmitted signalsfrom sector 1 1^(st) transmitter module 826 use the carrier identifiedby sector 1/1^(st) polarization direction carrier information 884.

Sector 1 2^(nd) transmitter module 828 transmits signal over firstsector 2^(nd) polarization direction antenna 816 under the control ofsector 1 2^(nd) transmitter control sub-module 852, wherein the sector 12^(nd) signal generator sub-module 864 generates signals which are inputto the sector 1 2^(nd) transmitter module 828. The transmitted signalsfrom sector 1 2^(nd) transmitter module 828 use the carrier identifiedby sector 1/2^(nd) polarization direction carrier information 886.

Sector 2 1^(st) transmitter module 830 transmits signal over secondsector 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 818 under the control ofsector 2 1^(st) transmitter control sub-module 854, wherein the sector 21^(st) signal generator sub-module 866 generates signals which are inputto the sector 2 1^(st) transmitter module 830. The transmitted signalsfrom sector 2 1^(st) transmitter module 830 use the carrier identifiedby sector 2/1^(st) polarization direction carrier information 888.

Sector 2 2^(nd) transmitter module 832 transmits signal over secondsector 2^(nd) polarization direction antenna 820 under the control ofsector 2 2^(nd) transmitter control sub-module 856, wherein the sector 22^(nd) signal generator sub-module 868 generates signals which are inputto the sector 2 2^(nd) transmitter module 832. The transmitted signalsfrom sector 2 2^(nd) transmitter module 832 use the carrier identifiedby sector 2/2^(nd) polarization direction carrier information 890.

Sector 3 1^(st) transmitter module 834 transmits signal over thirdsector 1^(st) polarization direction antenna 822 under the control ofsector 3 1^(st) transmitter control sub-module 858, wherein the sector 31^(st) signal generator sub-module 870 generates signals which are inputto the sector 3 1^(st) transmitter module 834. The transmitted signalsfrom sector 3 1^(st) transmitter module 834 use the carrier identifiedby sector 3/1^(st) polarization direction carrier information 892.

Sector 3 2^(nd) transmitter module 836 transmits signal over thirdsector 2^(nd) polarization direction antenna 824 under the control ofsector 3 2^(nd) transmitter control sub-module 860, wherein the sector 32^(nd) signal generator sub-module 872 generates signals which are inputto the sector 3 2^(nd) transmitter module 836. The transmitted signalsfrom sector 3 2^(nd) transmitter module 836 use the carrier identifiedby sector 3/2^(nd) polarization direction carrier information 894.

Various alternatives to using the configuration carrier information arepossible. For example, as part of the configuration process, theconfiguration module 845 can use the carrier information to set each ofthe individual transmitter modules corresponding to an antenna for aparticular sector which has a particular polarization direction to aparticular carrier. As another possibility a transmitter controlsub-module corresponding to a particular transmitter module/antenna cancontrol the transmitter to use the carrier identified in configurationinformation for the sector/antenna polarization combination. As stillanother possibility, the signal generation sub-module for a particularsector and antenna can control the generated signal to use the carrierspecified in the configuration information.

Data/information 840 includes configuration information 874,timing/frequency structure information 878, wireless terminaldata/information 880 and connection information 882. In some embodimentsdata/information 840 includes base station type definition information.Configuration information 874 includes information identifying thecarrier to be used for each sector/antenna polarization combination(sector 1/1^(st) polarization direction carrier information 884, sector1/2^(nd) polarization direction carrier information 886, sector 2/1^(st)polarization direction carrier information 888, sector 2/2^(nd)polarization direction carrier information 890, sector 3/1^(st)polarization direction carrier information 892, sector 3/2^(nd)polarization direction carrier information 894). In some embodiments,the configuration information 874 includes base station type information896.

Base station type information 896 identifies the type of base station towhich base station 800 is to be configured from among a plurality ofbase station types specified in base station type definitioninformation. For example, a first base station type may be a basestation such as BS 1 302 of FIG. 4 and a second base station type may bea base station such as BS 3 402 of FIG. 4, wherein each base stationtype has a set of predetermined associations between polarizationdirection antennas and carriers for each sector of the base station.

Timing frequency structure information 878 includes informationidentifying a downlink timing structure and an uplink timing structureincluding recurring patterns, carrier frequencies used, tone blockinformation associated with carrier frequencies, number of tones used,symbol timing information, etc.

WT data information 880 includes sets of information corresponding tovarious wireless terminals using base station 800 as a point ofattachment (WT 1 data/information 898, . . . , WT N data/information899). Connection information 882 includes information identifyingongoing wireless links including information identifying the sector,polarization antenna and carrier being used for a given connection. Somewireless terminals can have multiple concurrent connections with basestation 800, and the connections can be to the same sector or todifferent, e.g., adjacent, sectors. For example, a wireless terminal canhave a first connection using a first direction polarization antenna,e.g., a vertical direction polarization antenna, and can have a secondconnection using a second direction polarization antenna, e.g., ahorizontal direction polarization antenna.

In various embodiments, the 1^(st) polarization direction is a verticalpolarization direction and the second polarization direction is ahorizontal polarization direction. In some embodiments, two differentcarriers are used in each sector, e.g. F1 and F2, and for a given sectorone of the carriers is associated with a first polarization directionantenna and the other one of the carriers is associated with the secondpolarization direction antenna.

Base station 800 is an example of a three sector base station; however,other similar base station may have a different number of sectors, e.g.,one, two or more than three sectors. A variation of base station 800which is a single sector base station is, e.g., base station 502 or basestation 504 of FIG. 5 or a base station which implements a portion ofthe method of flowchart 700 of FIG. 7.

The techniques of various embodiments may be implemented using software,hardware and/or a combination of software and hardware. Variousembodiments are directed to apparatus, e.g., mobile nodes such as mobileterminals, base stations, communications system. Various embodiments arealso directed to methods, e.g., method of controlling and/or operatingmobile nodes, base stations and/or communications systems, e.g., hosts.Various embodiments are also directed to machine, e.g., computer,readable medium, e.g., ROM, RAM, CDs, hard discs, etc., which includemachine readable instructions for controlling a machine to implement oneor more steps of a method.

In various embodiments nodes described herein are implemented using oneor more modules to perform the steps corresponding to one or moremethods, for example, transmitting a first signal on a first carrierfrom a first carrier first sector antenna which is polarized in a firstdirection, transmitting a second signal having a second polarization onthe first carrier from a first carrier second sector antenna which ispolarized in a second direction, generating a first signal, generating asecond signal, locating base stations in a system, communicatingconfiguration information and/or implementing a configuration. Thus, insome embodiments various features are implemented using modules. Suchmodules may be implemented using software, hardware or a combination ofsoftware and hardware. Many of the above described methods or methodsteps can be implemented using machine executable instructions, such assoftware, included in a machine readable medium such as a memory device,e.g., RAM, floppy disk, etc. to control a machine, e.g., general purposecomputer with or without additional hardware, to implement all orportions of the above described methods, e.g., in one or more nodes.Accordingly, among other things, various embodiments are directed to amachine-readable medium including machine executable instructions forcausing a machine, e.g., processor and associated hardware, to performone or more of the steps of the above-described method(s).

Some embodiments are directed to a device, e.g., communications device,including a processor configured to implement one, multiple or all ofthe steps of one or more methods of the invention. In some embodiments,the processor or processors, e.g., CPUs, of one or more devices, e.g.,communications devices such as base stations are configured to performthe steps of the methods described as being as being performed.Accordingly, some, but not all embodiments are directed to a device,e.g., communications device, with a processor which includes a modulecorresponding to each of the steps of the various described methodsperformed by the device in which the processor is included. In some butnot all embodiments a device, e.g., a communications device, includes amodule corresponding to each of the steps of the various describedmethods performed by the device in which the processor is included. Themodules may be implemented using software and/or hardware.

While described in the context of an OFDM system, at least some of themethods and apparatus of various embodiments, are applicable to a widerange of communications systems including many non-OFDM and/ornon-cellular systems. Numerous additional variations on the methods andapparatus of the various embodiments described above will be apparent tothose skilled in the art in view of the above description. Suchvariations are to be considered within the scope. The methods andapparatus may be, and in various embodiments are, used with CDMA,orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), and/or various othertypes of communications techniques which may be used to provide wirelesscommunications links between access nodes and mobile nodes. In someembodiments the access nodes are implemented as base stations whichestablish communications links with mobile nodes using OFDM and/or CDMA.In various embodiments the mobile nodes are implemented as notebookcomputers, personal data assistants (PDAs), or other portable devicesincluding receiver/transmitter circuits and logic and/or routines, forimplementing the methods.

1. A system comprising: a first multi-sector base station including afirst antenna assembly, said first antenna assembly including a firstcarrier first sector antenna being polarized in a first direction and afirst carrier second sector antenna being polarized in a seconddirection, said second direction being different from said firstdirection.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first carrier firstsector antenna is vertically polarized and the first carrier secondsector antenna is horizontally polarized.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein said first multi-sector base station is a three sector basestation, said antenna assembly including a first carrier third sectorantenna having a third polarization.
 4. The system of claim 3, whereinthe third polarization is the same as the first polarization.
 5. Thesystem of claim
 3. wherein said antenna assembly further includes asecond carrier first sector antenna having a different polarization thansaid first carrier first sector antenna.
 6. The system of claim 5,wherein said antenna assembly further includes a second carrier secondsector antenna having a different polarization than said first carriersecond sector antenna.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising: asecond multi-sector base station, said second multi-sector base stationincluding a second antenna assembly, said second antenna assemblyincluding a second first carrier first sector antenna being polarized ina first direction and a second first carrier second sector antenna beingpolarized in a second direction, said second direction being differentfrom said first direction; and wherein the first sector of said firstbase station is located adjacent the second sector of the second basestation, the first carrier first sector antenna of the first basestation having a different polarization from the first carrier secondsector antenna of the second base station.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein polarization of the first carrier first sector antenna of thefirst base station is vertical and wherein the polarization of the firstcarrier second sector antenna of the second base station is horizontal.9. The system of claim 8, wherein said system includes additionalsectorized base stations and wherein less than half of adjacent sectorshave the same polarization for a given carrier.
 10. The system of claim1, wherein said first antenna assembly further includes a first carrierthird sector antenna being polarized in said first direction, the systemfurther comprising: a third multi-sector base station, the thirdmulti-sector base station including a third antenna assembly, the thirdantenna assembly including a first sector first carrier antenna beingpolarized in the second direction, a second sector first carrier antennaassembly being polarized in said first direction; and a third sectorfirst carrier antenna assembly being polarized in said second direction,and wherein the second and third sectors of the third base station arelocated adjacent the first sector of said first base station.
 11. Amethod of operating a first multi-sector base station, the methodcomprising: transmitting a first signal having a first polarization on afirst carrier from a first carrier first sector antenna which ispolarized in said first direction; and transmitting a second signalhaving a second polarization on the first carrier from a first carriersecond sector antenna which is polarized in said second direction, saidfirst and second directions being different.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein said first carrier first sector antenna is vertically polarizedand the first carrier second sector antenna is horizontally polarized.13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting a thirdsignal having a third polarization on the first carrier from a firstcarrier third sector antenna which is polarized in a third direction.14. The method of claim 13, wherein the third polarization is the sameas the first polarization.
 15. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising transmitting a fourth signal on a second carrier first sectorantenna having a different polarization than said first carrier firstsector antenna.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:transmitting a fifth signal on a second carrier second sector antennahaving a different polarization than said first carrier second sectorantenna.
 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising: locating saidfirst base station adjacent a second base station which includes: asecond multi-sector base station, said second multi-sector base stationincluding a second antenna assembly, said second antenna assemblyincluding a second first carrier first sector antenna being polarized ina first direction and a second first carrier second sector antenna beingpolarized in a second direction, said second direction being differentfrom said first direction; and wherein the first sector of said firstbase station is located adjacent to the second sector of the second basestation, the first carrier first sector antenna of the first basestation having a different polarization from the first carrier secondsector antenna of the second base station.
 18. A first multi-sector basestation comprising: means for transmitting a first signal having a firstpolarization direction on a first carrier into a first sector; and meansfor transmitting a second signal having a second polarization directionon the first carrier into a second sector, said first and secondpolarization directions being different.
 19. The first multi-sector basestation of claim 18, wherein said first polarization direction isvertical and the second polarization direction is horizontal.
 20. Thefirst multi-sector base station of claim 18, further comprising: meansfor transmitting a third signal having a third polarization direction onthe first carrier into a third sector.
 21. The first multi-sector basestation of claim 20, wherein the third polarization direction is thesame as the first polarization direction.
 22. A computer readable mediumembodying machine executable instructions for controlling a device toimplement a method of operating a first multi-sector base station, themethod comprising: transmitting a first signal having a firstpolarization on a first carrier from a first carrier first sectorantenna which is polarized in said first direction; and transmitting asecond signal having a second polarization on the first carrier from afirst carrier second sector antenna which is polarized in said seconddirection, said first and second directions being different.
 23. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 22, wherein said first carrier firstsector antenna is vertically polarized and the first carrier secondsector antenna is horizontally polarized.
 24. The computer readablemedium of claim 22, wherein the method further comprising: transmittinga third signal having a third polarization on the first carrier from afirst carrier third sector antenna which is polarized in a thirddirection.
 25. An apparatus comprising: a processor configured tocontrol said apparatus to implement a method, the method comprising:transmitting a first signal having a first polarization on a firstcarrier from a first carrier first sector antenna which is polarized insaid first direction; and transmitting a second signal having a secondpolarization on the first carrier from a first carrier second sectorantenna which is polarized in said second direction, said first andsecond directions being different.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25,wherein said first carrier first sector antenna is vertically polarizedand the first carrier second sector antenna is horizontally polarized.27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:transmitting a third signal having a third polarization on the firstcarrier from a first carrier third sector antenna which is polarized ina third direction.